This invention relates generally to the delivery of messages, such as advertising, to users of electronic systems employing removable re-programmable non-volatile memory devices such as memory cards, flash drives and rotating magnetic devices.
Electronic non-volatile memory cards are used with personal computers, notebook computers, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), digital still cameras, digital movie cameras, portable audio players and other host electronic devices for the storage of large amounts of data. Such cards usually contain a re-programmable non-volatile semiconductor memory cell array along with a controller or control function that controls operation of the memory cell array and interfaces with a host to which the card is connected. Flash memory cards have been commercially implemented according to a number of well-known standards. Popular types include cards sold under the CompactFlash (CF), MultiMediaCard (MMC), Secure Digital (SD), and Memory Stick trademarks, each of which is sold by SanDisk Corporation, the assignee hereof. These portable, hand-held memory cards are small, the largest length being 50 mm., the largest width 36.4 mm. and the largest thickness being 3.3 mm., in the above-mentioned group. More recently, even smaller memory cards have come to the marketplace, including the miniSD and TransFlash cards of SanDisk Corporation.
Other small, removable re-programmable non-volatile memory devices have also been made to interface with a computer or other type of host by including a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector plug. These are especially convenient since personal computers and other types of hosts commonly include one or more USB connector receptacles but may not have a receptacle slot that accepts any of above identified standard memory cards. There are several USB flash drive products commercially available from SanDisk Corporation under its trademark Cruzer. USB flash drives are typically shaped differently than the memory cards described above but contain memory with similar amounts of data storage capacity. The mid-sized Cruzer flash drives have an elongated shape with a length of about 70 mm., including the USB connector plug at one end, a width of about 18 mm. and thickness of about 8 mm. The trend is to make flash drives even smaller. USB flash drives are commonly used as a replacement for floppy disks, storing personal and/or business data. Users often constantly carry the devices with them.
The higher end of the range of storage capacities of flash memory cards and drives that are currently available are one, two and four gigabytes (GBs). Miniature rotating magnetic disc drives are also available with greater storage capacities. One miniature disc product has the same form factor and electrical signal interface as the flash memory CF card.
The cost of certain of these devices, particularly the USB flash drives of relatively low storage capacity, are becoming low enough as to be given away, or sold at a discount, as a means of delivering an advertising message contained on the card. Flash drives with 8, 16, 32, 48 or 64 megabyte (MB) storage capacity are becoming inexpensive enough for such use. In one instance, for example, the Lexus division of Toyota Motors sent flash drives with 16 MB of storage capacity without charge to potential purchasers of its automobiles. Information describing a new model of automobile was contained as data in the flash drive that provided an interactive video display on a host computer with a USB receptacle into which the card's USB plug was inserted. The user could delete these advertising data from the flash drive in order to be able to free up for his or her personal use the storage capacity which had been occupied in storing the advertising data.